DC Streets: An Innovative Partnership for Better Roads

Asset management is coming to city streets, thanks to a new partnership
among the District of Columbia Department of Public Works (DCDPW), the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA), and the highway industry. In an initiative
known as "DC Streets," DCDPW and FHWA are contracting with VMS,
Inc., to preserve and maintain approximately 75 miles of the major streets
and highways in the District. These roads make up the District's portion
of the National Highway System and are heavily used by residents, commuters,
and tourists.

Washington, DC, mayor Anthony Williams (top) and
Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater were among the dignitaries
at the June 19 launch of the DC Streets project.

The innovative contract calls for performance-based work, in which a
desired outcome is specified rather than a material or method. This differs
from traditional maintenance contracts, which typically mandate what materials
and techniques are to be used. "Instead of the District looking to
see how many people we have on the job or how many tons of asphalt we
use, they'll look at the results of what we do, such as the rideability
of the pavement. They'll see if we meet the standards," says Preston
Kelley of VMS.

The new contract reflects the increasingly popular concept known as asset
management, which emphasizes the preservation, upgrading, and timely replacement
of highway assets through cost-effective planning and resource allocation
decisions.

The project will cover not only pavement maintenance, but also upkeep
of such assets as tunnels, bridges, roadside features (including curbs,
gutters, sidewalks, and retaining walls), and pedestrian bridges. Starting
in the winter of 2001/2002, snow and ice control will also be part of
the contract.

"Under this new partnership, major roads and neighborhood streets
will be better maintained, which will benefit residents as well as visitors,"
said FHWA Administrator Kenneth Wykle at the June 19 ceremonial signing
of the contract. "We're using an innovative method of contracting
that will save time and money and is based on outcome, not bureaucratic
process."

In addition to saving time and money, the new contract brings the added
benefit of freeing up DCDPW employees to spend more time improving and
maintaining the more than 1,400 miles of additional roads and neighborhood
streets in the District. "This will be a real plus for the city,"
says Luke DiPompo, project manager for the new contract at DCDPW. "Because
we have a shortage of personnel, being able to redeploy our staff to other
streets will be a main benefit."

VMS has worked on performance-based contracts in States such as Virginia,
Texas, and Oklahoma, with its 1996 contract with the Virginia Department
of Transportation being the first time a private firm assumed full responsibility
for comprehensive maintenance of significant portions of a State's Interstate
highway system. The DC project, however, "is the first time a city
has done this on such a large scale," says Kelley.

The $70-million, 5-year contract is the largest transportation investment
in DCDPW's history. It also represents the first time that FHWA has teamed
directly with a city government on a program to preserve its highway infrastructure.
FHWA's role will include providing management advice and assisting in
evaluating the work of VMS annually, using objective measures evaluated
against the baseline and targets set in the contract.